The Thunderbolt of Ever-Living fire

The present book consists of Elder Vasileios' talks, discussions and dialogues in various venues mostly in the United States during his visit in 2011, along with excerpts from his writings selected to complement the themes of his talks. The themes dealt with by Fr. Vasileios so eloquently in this book are extraordinarily wide-ranging; he handles complex and difficult issues in theology, spirituality, liturgics, parish life and monasticism with amazing clarity and insight. He quotes with equal facility from figures as diverse as Heraclitus, Dostoevsky, St. Isacc the Syrian, St. Maximus the Confessor, Stefan Zweig, Andrei Tarkovsky, Vladimir Lossy, Georges Florovsky and St. Nicholas Cabasilas. Above all, there is an exhilarating sense of freedom and innocence in his thought. It is the freedom and innocence of profound faith and spiritual knowledge and childlike simplicity. His wisdom is expressed via the "hyperlogic" of a hesychastic spirit, which makes for surprising connections and illuminating insights. The appearance of this new book by Archimandrite Vasileios is truly a cause for celebration.